Fragile Love
by woefulwriter
Summary: When Bella's delicate heart is torn apart, an alluring opportunity is opened for her left by Alice Cullen. Bella sets out on a perilous journey to track down Edward,the love of her life.


Bella stood on the periphery of the sprawling forest peering into the vast darkness of the unknown. Random shapes shifted and repositioned themselves, giving the dense layer of trees the appearance of a moving shadow- one giant force working as one. She quickly adjusted her purple sweatshirt as the wind picked up, and took a hesitant step toward the imposing brush. An object flew out at her forcing a strangled scream from her pale mouth, before a strong hand could be clamped over it. She thrashed around endlessly shaking her soft bouncing curls like a desperate lion in despair.

. "Shush... Shush Bella it's only me" a melodic voice drifted from the random stranger's soft lips as he reassuringly patted her tiny back. "You're such a fragile thing..." he exclaimed tiny undertones of pity emerging in his voice. Her breathing steadied as she inhaled the familiar sent of Edward Cullen, whom she had been infatuated with since the day they met. His very touch sent shivers down her spine. She let out a small sigh as her composure slightly relaxed into his stone hard arms. But something was off- he seemed tenser somehow, different than the everyday stillness of his breathless chest.

"Are you ok?" Bella whispered afraid to break the serene calmness of the night. "Yea.. I'm fine" he responded his words hanging in the foggy air. Edward quickly extracted himself from her clingy grip inciting a look of hurt onto Bella's sharp features. "Are you.. Ok?" she asked again this time more firmly. He slowly walked over to the other side of the street as if to put distance in between them. Bella took a fast step forward, then rethinking her actions hung back biting her bottom lip. Quiet sobs shook her body as Edward looked away, afraid of breaking under her rash reaction.

"Listen Bells… don't think this is your fault…" her head quickly snapped up a menacing look of rage mixed with intense hurt marring her innocent Doe eyes. "Please.. Don't do this to me" she quietly implored the voice emitting from her fixated lips not matching up with her ragged features. "I- I" the words struggled to flow from her mouth. She would not show weakness to him. But it was already too late- the damage had been done. She dropped onto her knees faltering like a dissolving sugar cube and let out the most agonizing cry Edward had ever heard. He stood in place determined not to provoke her anymore than he already had. Why didn't I start distancing myself before? It would have been so much easier... for both of us he thought grimly.

He quickly closed in the giant gap, looming over Bella's broken frame. "I'm too dangerous for you… I shouldn't be in your world… Bella. I love you.. But we were never meant to be together. Vampires and humans just.. Don't mix. Like Romeo and Juliet…. Forbidden love is always the worst. Because in the end.. It just won't work out. Don't you want a normal life experience? Normal friends? Normal dances, normal dates… "His ardent speech was cut off by the slight sound of water gently hitting the hard concrete. Confused, he looked up to examine the sky. Was it raining? It wouldn't be surprising. Forks was infamous for the amount of rain fall it collected each year. But for once in the past week, all was still in the gleaming night sky. The source of the barely audible pitter patter was Bella's tears hitting the asphalt like the first snowflake on a calm winter morning- shocking yet at the same time expected. He instinctively reached out his ice cold hand prepared to whisk her away from all her woes, to comfort her, caress her hair lovingly until she had fallen asleep in his arms, the small gesture of her moving chest filling Edward with such a love that he could barely handle his emotions. But just as suddenly he remembered with a wave of sorrow he could no longer console the one he loved. Stepping smoothly away he cleared his throat and continued on in a clipped monotone. "My family and I are leaving tonight. Alice is picking me up from here. I'm sorry it had to be this way Bella." He swiftly bent down, gave her a quick kiss on the top of her bowed head and walked off into the distant darkness.

"Wait!" A muffled cry called after him. "Don't go… "Bella tried softly, black lines from her leaking mascara trailing down her pale face. Edward kept walking barely able to restrain himself from turning around and embracing Bella in a tight hug. The urge to stay was unbearable which was exactly why he had to leave. There was a part of him that at any moment could harm her, that delicate girl who always seemed to get herself in trouble. A sad smile graced his perfect lips recalling the numerous times he had had to rescue Bella from the clutches of danger. And now he was leaving it all behind, her soft lilting laugh the way she looked so innocently at him her wide eyes riveted by his every word. She remained in her dreary little heap thinking to herself why me… why me… of all people why me… her tangled hair lied limp around her face giving her the appearance of an old mop. She rocked back and forth in a cradled position for hours- past the time when the green jeep pulled up and her only love climbed into the sturdy car driving away from her life forever. Past the time when the sun began to rise on the horizon and the sound of morning birds chirping merrily in her ear flitted around carelessly as if nothing in the world was wrong. Finally after ages of sitting in the same shocked position, she managed to pull herself up from her pool of self pity, and dragged herself to the familiar blue exterior of her house. She walked in listlessly giving Charlie a half nod of acknowledgment, mumbling something about taking a shower. She let the searingly hot water pour around her, burning her skin yet not making her feel anything. Bella had become a robot- going through the everyday steps of her life without any emotion; only doing what was she was told to do.

Three weeks later, sitting alone on the cold tiles of her room going through the motions of her biology homework Bella saw a piece of paper sticking up from the crevices or her old dilapidated floor boards. An inquisitive look graced her blank features as she slowly pushed herself up, wobbly from sitting on the floor for so long. She stumbled over to the wooden tile and pried it up with her broken nails, worn down from days of chewing them obsessively. A small note wrapped up in ten tiny squares was wedged in the nook of the tiny lines, her name written In Elegant Script. _To my dearest Bella_ it read. Her heart skipped a beat. The familiar Cullen handwriting sent her chest soaring like a bird in the clouds, emotions coursing through her veins . She stood there shocked for a moment, the unusual sensation of passion throwing her off kilter. Shaking her head she quickly tore open the paper only to find a little riddle, a brief note, and the unmistakable signature of Alice Cullen. A smile broke across her face for the first time in weeks the glimmer of hope increasing her heart rate rapidly. _To the golden gate city you shall go, we won't be there waiting for you though, a clue I'll leave no need to thank, so travel now the hotel frank. My lovely Bells- I couldn't stand to leave you behind. Although I cannot tell you our exact whereabouts, Edward never said you couldn't find us yourself. Follow the clues and you'll be with us in no time. Forever yours- Alice Cullen._ Tears gathered in the corners of Bella's eyes threatening to pool over and stain the light wooden floor. She hopped up jubilantly and started spinning in circles, not able to contain her joy. Where she'd get the money, how she'd get there, who'd she travel with was not important. Only one thing mattered at this moment- she was heading to San Francisco.


End file.
